An Overplanner Takes on WDW – Feb 2019 PTR now with bonus Aug trip (New TR linked 9/2))

[missangelalexis]

That sure is a lot of ADRs! It's so easy to fall into the rabbit hole of planning and second/triple guess yourself.

Stay calm! Just remember no matter WHAT you plan, you will have a good time

Stick with the plan you've lined up for yourself. Holding on to all those extra FPs is just going to make you want to keep changing things around! What you have planned sounds great to me.

For Fantasmic, there is always the chance you get a same day FP for it, so don't stress about not doing the dining package.

 

[cadien]

Except, what if I’m wrong? What if things go horribly wrong on FP day or they change which days have EMH or something else completely messes up my strategy? What if I want to change things but I can’t get back ADRs that I’ve subsequently dropped? Why oh why does Disney let me plan this stuff 6 months out, despite the fact that they will change park hours and showtimes a mere weeks before we travel?

I can't be super helpful because I worry about exactly this too.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

So, I’ve gone a little nuts since ADR day. It all started when I couldn’t get the CRT that I wanted. I made a few backup ADRs in case I wanted to swap my MK days, which would also necessitate swapping my EP days. At that point, I started questioning whether we might want to swap our HS days but wouldn’t be able to because the reservations were unavailable. And the spiral just continued…

The Spiral is easy to do! There are so many variables to think about! I will say, that with young kids, I do think it is important to alternate the late nights with the early mornings, as much as possible.

It would seem that I can lock down my dates and eliminate quite a few extra ADRs. I’m still not sure about lunch vs dinner at Askershus, and I think I’ll keep the various BoGs until I know a) if they mess with park hours on one of my days and b) how my fastpasses land. Even with keeping those extras, I would still be clearing up a bunch of reservations to make them available to someone else.

I am in the same boat as you. I don't really want to keep all of my reservations. I don't actually like holding all those that I know I won't be using. BUT I also would like to have some choices as it gets closer.

They do say that people drop ADR's right around the 60 and 30 day marks when people get there fast passes and things don'g work out quiet the way they want them to.

I can pull my half asleep kids out of bed at 8am, toss them in the strollers, have them eat on the way to EP or HS, and still make RD. There’s NO WAY I can RD MK or AK with that timing.

This is how we operate most morning regardless. Well, minus the stroller... We will split a bounty platter from Quick Service in the Room as we get ready some mornings, but the rest we eat a light breakfast on the way.

Where were you thinking of ordering groceries from again? I am going to look into our options again. We don't need a ton, but I do like to order some beer for the adults in the room and fresh fruit. DH usually eats a Bannana and PB for breakfast and the girls eat Strawberries like they are going out of style!

So, if you would, can you all please kindly talk me into cancelling at least most of my duplicate ADRs? Because, even if the park hours change, I’m not going to want to have back to back princess meals, nor will I want to be out Illuminations the night before a BoG PPO. Or, heck, take a look at what I’ve got and show me a better line up that I’m missing.

It's like a big puzzle, isn't it!

CRT (night show) -> GG (RD) -> BoG lunch, Ohana dinner (RD) -> Tusker (RD & night) -> Trattoria (night) -> CP (neither) -> Ask dinner (night) -> H&V (RD) -> BoG PPO (pre RD)

I do like to alternate parks, MK / EPCOT / MK / HS / MK.... etc... We aren't doing that this trip, (I think) but it breaks up Magic Kingdom. And the amount of rides you can ride.

I think overall the plan looks good. The alternating day / park thing works and the fur to princess balance is good. I think maybe just be ready to be a little more leanant on the rope drop days... Like your 2nd MK visit, doesn't nessisartily need to be RIGHT at rope drop. You will be at MK the most, so there will be plenty of time to spread out the love fo that park.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Holding on to all those extra FPs is just going to make you want to keep changing things around!

This may be the best argument for cutting bait on my alternatives and just moving ahead with my plan as is. If I don't, I'm going to spend my time until FP day fiddling way too much!

Where were you thinking of ordering groceries from again? I am going to look into our options again. We don't need a ton, but I do like to order some beer for the adults in the room and fresh fruit.

We're going to try Walmart grocery, as the price is really good. Unfortunately, they don't delivery alcohol, so it may not work for you guys. We're looking at breakfast foods, fruits, and snacks, which were much cheaper there than the other delivery options I priced out (Garden Grocer, Prime Now).

I think maybe just be ready to be a little more leanant on the rope drop days... Like your 2nd MK visit, doesn't nessisartily need to be RIGHT at rope drop. You will be at MK the most, so there will be plenty of time to spread out the love fo that park.

If our recent shore trip is any indication, my concern is actually managing to make it to the night attractions. Despite being up well past their bedtime, the latest my kids managed to sleep was 6:30am. Once they were up, they were wide awake and ready to roll despite the short night's sleep. We'll see how it goes when we're actually there, but I think it's much more likely that they conk out before we see one of the night things than missing a RD because they slept in. Then again, they were begging to ride more rides on the OCNJ boardwalk at 8pm, having been up since 6:00am, so maybe my kids have more hang than I'm giving them credit for.

I'm not planning on being out late the night before either the MK or AK RDs, so I think they'll be ok. Also, in both of those cases, we're not trying to RD the most popular attraction. We'll go to NRJ in AK and Buzz/Astro/Speedway in MK, so we don't have to be anywhere near the front of the RD crowd. The main reason I want to RD MK is so that we can see the opening show. HS and EP we're trying for a more aggressive RD strategy, but we'll be able to leave the kids in the stroller until we're actually at the ride. The RD from International Gateway is supposed to be much less stress than the front of EP. For HS, we hope to have SDD FP in hand and just RD the rest of TSL, so we'll have to move with the pack but can once again plan to be at the back, let the line split off to the main attraction, and then just saunter over to AS2.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I guess my point is... If you miss a rope drop, there is very few parks that it will truely matter in your level of fun of the day. Does that make sense?

And I will say, our very first trip, when the girls were 2-7/8 & 5. We didn't do a single night time show. We saw the Magic Kingdom Fireworks as we were walking out of the park one night. And that was it. We didn't feel jipped in anyway. If you do miss one, you will still have an amazing day! We STILL have not seen Illuminations! This last September was truely our first trip seeing most of the night shows. And they were 9 and 7 at the time.

We're going to try Walmart grocery, as the price is really good. Unfortunately, they don't delivery alcohol, so it may not work for you guys. We're looking at breakfast foods, fruits, and snacks, which were much cheaper there than the other delivery options I priced out (Garden Grocer, Prime Now).

I will have to look. I could always just get the beer down at the resort hotel. I usually just like one drink back in the room. Although the later we stay our the less I need it. Again, back on the first trips we would be back to the room earlier, and it was just a nice way to end the evening, hiding in the dark waiting for the girls to fall asleep.

Despite being up well past their bedtime, the latest my kids managed to sleep was 6:30am. Once they were up, they were wide awake and ready to roll despite the short night's sleep.

My girls are the SAME!!! We just started letting them stay up till 8:30 this summer. Most of there friends stay up way later. But they are up at the crack of dawn! Disney is actually the ONLY place they sleep in! (and by sleeping in, 7:00)

Then again, they were begging to ride more rides on the OCNJ boardwalk at 8pm, having been up since 6:00am, so maybe my kids have more hang than I'm giving them credit for.

There is some serious Disney adrenaline that kicks in when the sun goes down and it isn't blazing hot! For sure. It does bite you in the butt sometimes the next morning. But the evenings are magical in a whole different way.

The main reason I want to RD MK is so that we can see the opening show.

The opening show is just ok. It is nice to see, but it is just that nice. Not amazing, not to die for, just nice. I do think it is nice to be in the a park by that time, if possible, you can get your coffee at Starbucks without feeling like you are wasting time. It is actually really nice. BUT if the girls are dragging, truely, the opening show is NOT worth dragging them out of the hotel super early. If they are up for it, def do it. But of all the things in Disney the opening show is not a must do for us.

The stage show during the day, I would say is more of a must do!

The RD from International Gateway is supposed to be much less stress than the front of EP.

I am hoping to do this for the first time this trip. I booked the Trattoria Al Fornio breakfast, and then we will walk over to the IG to get in.

For HS, we hope to have SDD FP in hand and just RD the rest of TSL, so we'll have to move with the pack but can once again plan to be at the back, let the line split off to the main attraction, and then just saunter over to AS2.

I do agree with you on all the rides in TS for RD. It's why I am debating whether it will be better to do EMH or not. We have had good luck wiht EMH in the past.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Locking Down The Park Days

Well, I managed to bite the bullet and delete most of my extra ADRs. Here's what I've got:

2/26: 12:00 CRT
2/27: 11:50 Garden Grill
2/28: 11:35 BoG, 4:15 'Ohana (back ups 8:10 BoG, 12:35 BoG, 4:15 1900 PF)
3/1: 12:05 Tusker w RoL
3/2: 8:45 Trattoria
3/3: 10:30 Crystal Palace
3/4: 5:25 Askershus
3/5: 12:00 H&V (back up 12:30 Sci Fi)
3/6: 8:00 BoG (back up 12:00 BoG)

I'm keeping the back up BoGs at least until FPs are booked and Disney announces changes to their February and March park hours. I'd like to do 2/28 as the early lunch and 3/6 as the PPO, but I'm keeping my options open in case they change the opening time on either/both of those days.

I have lunch and dinner on my Askershus day as I'm not sure which will work better for our schedule. Depending on when various acts are happening throughout WS, we'll either go clockwise from international gateway and be in Norway at lunch, or go the reverse and be there for dinner.

Finally, I threw in a couple of restaurants that I thought I'd pulled off of my list, but now I'd like to have my options open. 'Ohana has been getting mixed reviews lately and people really enjoy the character interaction with the stepsisters at 1900 PF. While I'm not sure if I want another character buffet, I'm keeping it on the table for now. My H&V reservation is the other one I keep hedging on because of mixed reviews, thus the Sci Fi back up. That's likely going to be a game time decision, depending on how charactered-out we all are by the end of the trip.

I caved and got a paid TP subscription, so I've transitioned from obsessing over ADRs to messing around with day to day plans. The good news is that life it getting super busy right now, so I have to start paying attention to things other than my trip. There's laundering a small mountain since the girls went up a size, getting used to the new school schedule, making Halloween costumes, booking their birthday party, booking annual family pictures, various fall festivals, an adults only trip to Jamaica (!!!!!!), and everything else that always keeps me busy in the fall. There's simply too much going on for me to keep fiddling with my plans for the next few weeks, at least.

Although, the mountain of laundry included a LOT of Disney already. I went a bit crazy in the spring when Kohl's did 30%, 10 off of 50, and free shipping. So far, the girls have 3 princess t-shirts, 1 princess dress, 1 Minnie t-shirt, and 1 Minnie dress, each. All easy to wear, comfy cotton that can be used as normal clothes for the spring and summer, but still quite the line up. I'm looking at other princess dresses from Ali Express, which I think Santa will bring to all of us, since they have several cute Mommy-and-Me options. I'm not sure if I'll have an outfit for each park day, but they sure will! Any suggestions on places to get reasonably priced men's t-shirts for Disney? Hubby can't be left out!

Speaking of laundry, duty calls: the 3rd load of the day is buzzing for me. So much for fun Disney planning; it's back to real life I go.

 

[cadien]

I found fun clothes for all of us on our last trip at an Etsy shop called Kawaiian Pizza Apparel.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

TeePublic has great shirts and has sales all the time.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I found fun clothes for all of us on our last trip at an Etsy shop called Kawaiian Pizza Apparel.

TeePublic has great shirts and has sales all the time.

I'll check them out, thanks!

 

[joules12]

TeePublic has great shirts and has sales all the time.

Agreed; we've had great luck with TeePublic for adult Disney (and a multitude of other pop culture) tees. I'm currently [not so patiently] waiting for one of their sales to buy some items for our Nov trip -- I was planning to buy during their 30% off Labor Day flash sale, but life got in the way that weekend and I missed it.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Agreed; we've had great luck with TeePublic for adult Disney (and a multitude of other pop culture) tees. I'm currently [not so patiently] waiting for one of their sales to buy some items for our Nov trip -- I was planning to buy during their 30% off Labor Day flash sale, but life got in the way that weekend and I missed it.

Do they usually do a black Friday / cyber Monday sale? I have the time to wait for that one.

 

[joules12]

Do they usually do a black Friday / cyber Monday sale? I have the time to wait for that one.

Sorry, I don't recall! I've only bought stuff from them once or twice a year and have never paid much attention to their sale cycle.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Do they usually do a black Friday / cyber Monday sale? I have the time to wait for that one.

Agreed; we've had great luck with TeePublic for adult Disney (and a multitude of other pop culture) tees. I'm currently [not so patiently] waiting for one of their sales to buy some items for our Nov trip -- I was planning to buy during their 30% off Labor Day flash sale, but life got in the way that weekend and I missed it.

I get there emails. They just started a 30% off sale today! It is literally all the time. I want to say 30% is usually as low as they do. I don't remember waht they did for Black Friday. But I am sure they had a sale then.

 

[joules12]

I get there emails. They just started a 30% off sale today! It is literally all the time. I want to say 30% is usually as low as they do. I don't remember waht they did for Black Friday. But I am sure they had a sale then.

Awesome, thanks!!! I *think* I’m signed up for their emails, but I probably need to apply a filter to theirs so they land in my primary inbox instead of the blackhole that is the rest of my inbox.

 

[cosmicmommy]

I usually pick up shirts at Target as they clearance them. I've gotten a bunch of them for a couple dollars in the past. But I have heard great things about the Aliexpress dresses. Also, something to think of for super easy dressing is the princess aprons.

 

[Pmm_]

Jumping in to say that the location of BWV is by-and-large 100% better than your original option. You'll have a great time.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

I usually pick up shirts at Target as they clearance them. I've gotten a bunch of them for a couple dollars in the past. But I have heard great things about the Aliexpress dresses. Also, something to think of for super easy dressing is the princess aprons.

Thanks for the ideas. I've been looking around for good shirts for hubby and Tee Public has some really cute stuff. I have had really bad luck on Target clearance, lately. I used to do really well, but my stores just seem more picked over lately.

Jumping in to say that the location of BWV is by-and-large 100% better than your original option. You'll have a great time.

Thanks! I know the location is way better, but I am worried about the smaller space. With the discounts officially announced for Jan and Feb, it looks like I'm spending about $400 more than I would have for the Pop rooms. It's a lot of money in theory but, in the grand scheme of a Disney vacation budget, not so much. I'm really excited about walking to two parks, and the extra time that buys us to rest a bit more before heading into parks, or do a bit more before leaving.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

19 Things for 2019

I know I’m a week behind everyone else in reacting to the big announcement about the things coming in 2019. In my defense, real life has been pretty busy, in an awesome way. Hubby and I got to sneak away for a week in Jamaica (!!!!!) but between getting ready for that trip, enjoying the heck out of it, and re acclimating to adult responsibilities, I hadn’t had time to really wrap my head around the news.

I’m definitely bummed about the timing of the Epcot festivals. With Flower and Garden starting so much later than last year, it doesn’t start until our departure day. We don’t get to catch the end of the Arts festival, either, as it ends on our arrival day.

I’ve been playing around with our schedule, but I don’t think there’s anything to be done about it. With renting DVC points and already having the flights books, we’re not changing the dates. We don’t land until 2pm, so I don’t think it’s realistic that we’re going to do anything more than settle into the hotel, look around there, and go for a swim. If we were frequent visitors, I’d try to rush in to catch the end of Arts. I feel like, with this being the girls’ first trip, our first park day should be a full day to go in, see the castle, and really enjoy MK. It just doesn’t feel right having their first day of their first visit be a couple of hours in World Showcase. I don’t want to mess with our departure day, either. We’re not getting hoppers, nor do I think a half-day of seeing a festival is worth that added expense, so we’d have to completely bail on our last MK day. Considering the WS doesn’t even open until 11, and we have to leave early to catch a plane, it would again be a lot of fuss for just a few hours of time at the festival. This is all based on the assumption that MK is their favorite park, which I think is a pretty safe bet for 5 yos. If I’m wrong and they would rather another Epcot day, then we can certainly make that happen for our last day there. It just seems unlikely to me. While I’m disappointed that we’ll miss Flower and Garden, I know that there will still be plenty to see, do, and eat in the WS for first timers. I’ll just have to adjust my snack credit plans to focus on the permanent places, rather than trying out booths.

The rest of the announcement seems fun enough. I saw the rumors that Move It! Shake It! was getting the ax, so I’m glad it’s just an update. The kids should enjoy the added character interactions and the Lion King dance party. I was also glad to see that Illuminations will still be running, as the rumors on this were that it may get cut by year end.

In other news, we bought our park tickets! With the rumors of ticket increases floating around, we decided to go ahead and get it done. It turns out we made our move just a few days before Disney officially announced the changes. That means we’ve got our room, dining plan, flights, and tickets all paid for, which makes things seem so much more real. We’ve got little incidentals left, like tips, souvenirs, and park outfits, but all the big stuff is handled. Next up on my agenda is to look back at my day plans in light of the 2019 announcement and start actually ordering some of the outfits I’ve been considering. I think Santa is bringing a whole bunch of Disney clothes this year!

 

[cosmicmommy]

19 Things for 2019

I know I’m a week behind everyone else in reacting to the big announcement about the things coming in 2019. In my defense, real life has been pretty busy, in an awesome way. Hubby and I got to sneak away for a week in Jamaica (!!!!!) but between getting ready for that trip, enjoying the heck out of it, and re acclimating to adult responsibilities, I hadn’t had time to really wrap my head around the news.

I’m definitely bummed about the timing of the Epcot festivals. With Flower and Garden starting so much later than last year, it doesn’t start until our departure day. We don’t get to catch the end of the Arts festival, either, as it ends on our arrival day.

I’ve been playing around with our schedule, but I don’t think there’s anything to be done about it. With renting DVC points and already having the flights books, we’re not changing the dates. We don’t land until 2pm, so I don’t think it’s realistic that we’re going to do anything more than settle into the hotel, look around there, and go for a swim. If we were frequent visitors, I’d try to rush in to catch the end of Arts. I feel like, with this being the girls’ first trip, our first park day should be a full day to go in, see the castle, and really enjoy MK. It just doesn’t feel right having their first day of their first visit be a couple of hours in World Showcase. I don’t want to mess with our departure day, either. We’re not getting hoppers, nor do I think a half-day of seeing a festival is worth that added expense, so we’d have to completely bail on our last MK day. Considering the WS doesn’t even open until 11, and we have to leave early to catch a plane, it would again be a lot of fuss for just a few hours of time at the festival. This is all based on the assumption that MK is their favorite park, which I think is a pretty safe bet for 5 yos. If I’m wrong and they would rather another Epcot day, then we can certainly make that happen for our last day there. It just seems unlikely to me. While I’m disappointed that we’ll miss Flower and Garden, I know that there will still be plenty to see, do, and eat in the WS for first timers. I’ll just have to adjust my snack credit plans to focus on the permanent places, rather than trying out booths.

The rest of the announcement seems fun enough. I saw the rumors that Move It! Shake It! was getting the ax, so I’m glad it’s just an update. The kids should enjoy the added character interactions and the Lion King dance party. I was also glad to see that Illuminations will still be running, as the rumors on this were that it may get cut by year end.

In other news, we bought our park tickets! With the rumors of ticket increases floating around, we decided to go ahead and get it done. It turns out we made our move just a few days before Disney officially announced the changes. That means we’ve got our room, dining plan, flights, and tickets all paid for, which makes things seem so much more real. We’ve got little incidentals left, like tips, souvenirs, and park outfits, but all the big stuff is handled. Next up on my agenda is to look back at my day plans in light of the 2019 announcement and start actually ordering some of the outfits I’ve been considering. I think Santa is bringing a whole bunch of Disney clothes this year!

We'll be there just ahead of you too, so I can give you a heads-up on the changes. I will say that if Move It, Shake It keeps the same times, that it is super easy to do it and Mickey's Royal Friendship Faire back to back at the hub, right in front of the castle. You don't even have to move, just turn around.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I’m definitely bummed about the timing of the Epcot festivals. With Flower and Garden starting so much later than last year, it doesn’t start until our departure day. We don’t get to catch the end of the Arts festival, either, as it ends on our arrival day.

The timing of Flower and Garden is very unfortant. I feel your pain!